WHEN HORSE SENSE GOES AMISS

A famous comedian once observed, "Horse sense is the good judgment that keeps horses from betting on people."

Of course, "horse sense" is just another term for good old fashioned, common sense. There's an old story about a farmer who you could say was sorely lacking in horse sense. 

The farmer owned a beautiful horse that he was very proud of. One day he rode the horse into town and carefully tied the animal to a hitching post in front of the general store. Two thieves, passing through the town, saw the handsome horse and decided to steal it. They also agreed on a clever strategy to carry out their plan. So, one of them untied the horse and rode swiftly away while the other remained by the post.

When the farmer emerged from the store, he was surprised to see a man, not his horse tied to the hitching post. In a sad, low tone, the thief said, "Sir, I am your horse. Years ago, I sinned, and for my sins, my punishment was to be changed into a horse. Today my sentence is over, and I am a man once again."

The farmer was dumbfounded yet touched by the story. So, he untied the man and sent him on his way, wishing him luck in his new life. Several weeks later, the farmer went to a fair in a neighboring town. To his great surprise, he saw his horse for sale there. After studying the animal to make sure his eyes weren't playing tricks on him, he walked over and whispered in the horse's ear, "So – I see you've sinned again!"

A YOUNG MAN AFTER MY OWN HEART...

My grandson Joshua Rocha writing on his Facebook timeline Oct. 10, 2016 about the time he turned 21. Where did that boy (young man now) get the ability to rationalize and articulate like that?

"People obviously don't have to see eye to eye on everything. There does have to be a concerted effort to become more informed and understanding. It's okay to not know everything as long as you keep trying to understand. Simply saying "that's my opinion and it shouldn't offend you" doesn't intellectually reinforce your opinion or attempt to help someone else reach a mutual understanding. When discussion becomes an argument is when it becomes a waste of time. Some people get the two mixed up. I swear I'm a super light-hearted person so I hope this doesn't come off as pretentious. I'll admit to sitting on a fence a lot."

*Josh is an industrial construction designer working as an associate in his dad's business. He is currently on contractual loan to the Staples organization. This post did not have his permission.

THE MONSTER THAT A PANDEMIC HAS CREATED

As I took my girl Matilda out to do her business around 10:30 this morning, there was something different in the air and, figuratively, I could not put my finger on it.

The thermometer outside my kitchen window hovered at a balmy 10 degrees celcius. For the first time this Spring I did not find it necessary to wear a jacket and cap. There was not a cloud to be seen in the clear blue sky. Birds were singing a melodious refrain and squirrels were scampering hither and yon. Silence prevailed, no one in sight. Nary a breeze caressing the still leafless 100-year-old maple trees that adorn Grey Street North. My neighborhood literally a ghost of its traditional self at this time of year with neighbors busily cleaning up their yards and folks strolling casually along the sidewalk.

Pandemic?...What pandemic?

While for the first time in weeks I felt the essence of Mother Nature's Spring, something seemed terribly wrong with this picture.

For lack of a better description, a virtual sense of guilt for having exposed myself to all this outsideness was prevalent and I found myself hoping that I would not encounter another soul from which I would be required to distance myself. Like a heavy cloud, I felt a monster hovering over me as I dared to expose myself to an environment that would rather see me isolated and sequestered. Out of harm's way.

Is this what my life has come to in the early stages of 2020, I wondered? Will we ever experience a carefree "normal" again? A normal, that in retrospect, we heretofore took for granted.

Matilda did her thing...and we reversed in haste to the safety and solitude of our home as we had come to welcome it...Be it ever so humble.

Indeed, the world feels awfully strange right now, but not because – or not just because – it is changing so fast and any one of us could fall ill at any time, or could already be carrying a virus and not know it. It feels strange because the past few weeks have exposed the fact that the biggest things can always change, at any minute. This simple truth, both destabilising and liberating, is easy to forget. We’re not watching a movie: we’re writing one, together, until the end. What ever form that end may take.

I really have no answers to any of this and struggle to remain optimistic about the future which is in the hands of others who we trust will act in the best interests of all of us. What other choice do we have?

Meantime Mother Nature, do not abandon us now. Will ye no come back again with your clear blue skies, balmy temperatures, birds singing and squirrels scampering?...And stay with us for a long time!

As you go dear lady, so we go! Ideally guilt-free and thankful for all the natural mercies you provide in unsettling times such as these.

With adjusted attitudes, Matilda and I are going to venture outside again this afternoon. To hell with that monster...!!!

MISTAKES: AH YES, I'VE MADE A FEW!

~The older I get the more I learn to live with my mistakes. When I put my underwear on inside out or backwards in the morning and decide to leave it that way, that's living with my mistake!
~ The best thing about living alone is that there is no one around to witness you making mistakes.
~ It is one thing to make a mistake, but it is quite another matter to make that same mistake again a couple of minutes later...That's called senility -- or forgetfulness.
~ I made a mistake this morning...I did something right for a change.
~ Someone once said: "A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them and strong enough to correct them." 
~ It is a mistake to cry over spilled milk...Better that you just let the dog lick it up!
~ Own up to a mistake or it will own you!
~ I readily acknowledge my mistakes. Albeit contrary to human nature, I don't need anyone to draw them to my attention or, worse yet, remind me of them.

~ Making a mistake is no laughing matter, but some of them can give you a chuckle in retrospect.
~ Mistakes happen...Some people are born that way!?

A MESSAGE FROM DICK...

SHARING MY MOTHER'S RECIPES

I venture to say that a good 95 per cent of the tempting recipes appearing on Facebook timelines these days have never actually been tried by those posting them. The qualifier seemingly being that they just look good in the picture. But that's okay...Recipes are fun to share and generally even better when put to the acid test, the proof always being in the pudding.

I've even posted a few recipes myself, admittedly not a manly thing to do. But I've got news for you...I never posted a recipe that I didn't try at least once myself and before earning a "Dick seal of approval." Anyway, not being particularly adventuresome, I love the old tried and true recipes that remind me of my youth (1940s in particular) -- growing up in a family of four aunts, all sisters of my mother Grace. The Perry girls were outstanding cooks, each one having a reputation for excellence in one area of specialty i.e. cookies, cakes, pies, casseroles; not to suggest that there were not equally adept at putting together a gangbusters full-course meal of which I frequently partook.

While I was at it I thought that I would share
one of my mother's "Dick's favorite" recipes.
This was from the WW2 period when baking 
supplies were rationed. Note: No flour or 
baking powder required in the ingredients.

The remarkable thing about the Perry family, nine siblings in all, is that they lived no more than 90 minutes apart, so gatherings were frequent and traditionally food oriented. And you know what?...At no time do I recall liquor ever being involved. Not even wine as an appetizer...It was just not needed.

At any rate my mother, being my mother, kept a binder of family recipes which I frequently refer to, as recent as earlier this week when I made one of her ginger spice cakes, an old fashioned mix if ever there was one. What makes her hand-written notes so special for me is that she gave credit to the originator of the recipe, more often than not one of her four sisters -- Della, Edith, Hattie and Beth (as copied above).

Take my word for it, they are excellent recipes and you are invited to try any one (or all) of them. The Perry girls would be honored, especially my mother.

Before you go, however, here is a tribute to my aunts -- they were special!

FAITH AND PATIENCE: A VISIT WITH OLD HENRY

"Viewing today's woes through a telescope to bring things closer -- and into focus." Sharing with you a timely visit with my old friend and alterego Old Henry.

ALL ABOUT LEMON MERINGUE PIE: YUM YUM GOOD!

I was thumbing through Edgar A. Guest's book of poems "Just Folks" (Copyright 1917) this morning and came across "Lemon Pie", one of my favorite poems by my favorite poet and hands down my favorite pie. It was a nostalgic triple whammy!

My mother Grace made the best lemon meringue pie that I ever tasted. That is until I first dug into a slice from one made by my wife Anne (I knew I married her for something and lemon pie had to be one of the reasons).

When I get desperate these days I even make my own lemon meringue pie, always in a prized pie plate handed down from my mother (see photo above) and I always use the recipe printed on the decorative collector's item plate. Guess what I'm having for dessert after supper tonight?

Here's a copy of "Lemon Pie" taken from the aforementioned book of poems. It always makes my mouth water.

"THE BOOK" I WOULD SLIP TO MY CHILDREN TODAY

Some disturbing facts: A new national survey from the American Enterprise Institute of more than 2,500 individuals found a few reasons why millennials may not return to the religious fold.

1) For one thing, many millennials never had strong ties to religion to begin with, which means they were less likely to develop habits or associations that make it easier to join a religious community.
2) Young adults are also increasingly likely to have a spouse who is nonreligious, which may help reinforce their secular worldview.
3) Changing views about the relationship between morality and religion also appear to have convinced many young parents that religious institutions are simply irrelevant or unnecessary for their children.

The older I get the more I wonder about our approach to life as it applies particularly to the current "modern world" generation of the 21st century.

I can't help but think that there is an urgent need for a sense of our own existence which is in accord with the physical facts and which overcomes a feeling of alienation from the universe. All of which leads me to ask: "Is there, in other words, some inside information on life and existence that most parents and teachers either don't know or fail, for some reason, to relay to the upcoming and naturally impressionable younger generation.

It seems to me that we have lost the art of molding young minds, leaving it instead to chance, good luck...or someone else.

I began to contemplate the question almost 50 years ago after being asked to review a book written by Alan Watts, best known as an interpreter of Zen Buddhism and Indian and Chinese philosophy. As a fledgling literary editor and all-purpose news editor at the time, I always intended to follow up my book review by interviewing Watts personally, but he died in 1974 before I got a chance to do so. I still have the publisher's review copy of the book (see accompanying photo deeper into this post) I received at the time.

Drawing on the insights of Hindu philosopher Vedanta, Watts presented his thesis in a completely modern Western style -- an interesting cross-fertilization of Western science with an Eastern intuition that impressed a still wet-behind-the-ears scribe like me.

Watts wrote about "the taboo against who you are." He formulated his own solution to the urgent problem of personal identity and proposed a method of self-examination that shattered "the big lie and hallucination" of alienation.

Alan Watts

He immediately caught my attention by referencing a Japanese custom of giving young people about to be married a "pillow book," a small volume of wood-block prints, often colored, showing the details of sexual intercourse. It wasn't just that, as the Chinese say, "one picture is worth ten thousand words." It was also that it spared parents the embarrassment of explaining intimate matters face-to-face, unlike today when that type of information is readily available any place you may choose to look, book shelves and online included. Interesting...

In today's world sex is no longer a serious taboo and teens generally know more about it than adults. So let's zero in on the question: "If sex is no longer a big taboo, what is?" There is always something repressed, unadmitted, or just glimpsed quickly out of the corner of one's eye. What, then, would be "the book" which fathers might slip to their sons and mothers to their daughters, without ever admitting it openly?

Well, to begin, in some circles as Watts pointed out, there is a strong taboo on religion, even for those who go to church or read the Bible. Religion is considered private business and for some it is bad form or uncool to talk about or argue on the subject. Heaven help those who demonstrate piety in their everyday lives.

As shocking as it may sound, "The Book" we are talking about would not be the Bible, the "good book" that it is -- that fascinating anthology of ancient wisdom, history and fable which has for so long been considered a blueprint for living.

There are indeed secrets in the Bible, and some very subversive ones, but they are complicated and in archaic symbols and ways of thinking that are incredibly difficult to explain to people in a modern society. As a lay minister lacking a formal theological education and forced to continually play catch up, I can attest to the challenge.

In all honesty the standard-bred religions, whether Jewish, Christian, Mohammedan, Hindu or Buddhist are, as now practiced, are like mines -- very hard to dig. With some exceptions their ideas about man and the world, their imagery, their rites and notions of the good life do not seem to fit in with the universe as we know it, or with a human world that is changing so rapidly that much of what one learns in school is already obsolete on graduation day.

In applying the creative thinking cap, and readily acknowledging the fact that young people today are not as gullible as in previous generations, it is safe to suggest that they cast a questioning eye on the old-fashioned religion that we oldsters cling to as generally having little appeal to them. 

I well remember the time I took my then teenage daughter to church with me after a lengthy hiatus due to moving from one province to another and other extra-curricular activities. When we got home that Sunday I overheard her saying to her mother: "I couldn't believe it...They actually chanted in church...Then I looked over at dad and he was doing it too!" In truth I cannot remember the "chanting" but we did recite in unison The Apostles Creed in keeping with the Presbyterian worship service of the day. Regardless, that one incident told me something about how my daughter had perceived a church ritual as kind of strange and old fashioned...And unsaid, probably still does to this day as a mother of three. 

"The Book", I suggest, would not have to be religious in the usual sense, but it would have to discuss many things with which religions have been concerned -- the universe and mankind's place in it, the mysterious centre of experience which we call "I myself," the problems of life and love, pain and death, and the whole question of whether existence has meaning in any sense of the word.


For years I struggled with the notion that you dilute religious faith by trying to modernize it...Now I am not so sure. 

The question, however, has to be asked; is there some kind of explanation on this astounding scheme of things, something that never really gets out through the usual channels for the answer -- the historic religions and philosophies? Well there is and I intend to pursue the matter in future Wrights Lane posts in spite of my limited ability to comprehend it further in the moment.

It has been said time and again but in such a fashion that we, today, do not hear it. We do not realize that it is utterly subversive, not so much in the political and moral sense, as in that it turns our ordinary view of things (our common sense) inside out and upside down. It may of course have political and moral consequences, but as yet we have no clear idea of what they may be and looking for answers has almost been considered dangerous...Hence a taboo.

As we speak, the world is in an extremely dangerous state and serious diseases often require the risk of a dangerous cure. It is not that we simply blow up the planet, strangle ourselves with overpopulation, destroy our natural resources or ruin the soil and its byproducts. Beyond all these is the possibility that civilization may be a huge technological success, but through methods that most people will find baffling, frightening and disorienting -- because, for one reason alone, the methods will keep changing. It may well be like playing a game where the rules are constantly changed without ever being made clear -- a game from which one cannot withdraw short of suicide, and in which one can never return to an older form of the game.  

It is also believed that humanity has evolved one-sidedly, growing in technical power without any comparable growth in moral integrity, or, as some would prefer to say, without comparable progress in education and rational thinking. Yet the problem is more basic than that.

The root of the matter is the way in which we feel and conceive ourselves as human beings -- our sensation of being alive, of individual existence and identity. Most of us have the notion that "I myself" is a separate centre of feeling and action, living inside and bounded by the physical body, a center which confronts an external world of people and things, making contact through the senses with a universe both alien and strange. As the aforementioned Watts put it: Everyday figures of speech reflecting the illusion "I came into this world." "You must face reality." "The conquest of nature." 

This feeling of being lonely and very temporary visitors in the universe is in flat contradiction to everything known about man (and all other living organisms) in the sciences. We do not "come into" this world, we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean "waves," the universe "peoples," if you get my drift. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the real universe.

This fact is rarely, if ever, experienced by most individuals. Even those who know it to be true in theory do not sense or feel it, but continue to be aware of themselves as isolated "egos" inside bags of skin.

From my vantage point, the first result of this illusion is that our attitude to the world "outside" us is largely hostile. We are forever in a conquering mode instead of learning to cooperate in harmonious order.

It might seem, then, that our need is for some genius to invent a new religion, a philosophy of life and a view of the world, that is plausible and generally acceptable for the early 21st century, and through which every individual can feel that the world as a whole, and one's own life in particular, have meaning. This, as history has shown repeatedly however, is not enough.

In acknowledging that most of we long-in-the-tooth Christians have at least paid lip service to biblical teachings, we must also concede that it is lacking in youthful allure today. It behooves us to find alternatives and not to leave it all up to God. Therefore, The Book that I would ideally like to slip into my children's hands would of itself be slippery. It would slip them into a new domain, not of ideas alone, but of experience and feeling. It would be temporary medicine, not a diet; a point of departure, not a perpetual point of reference.  They would read it and be done with it, for if it were well and clearly written they would not have to go back to it again and again looking for hidden messages or declarations of obscure doctrines.

The Book I would pass to my children would in no way begin to compete with the Bible. It would contain no sermons, no shoulds and oughts. Genuine love comes from knowledge, not from an imposed sense of duty or guilt.

Why then "The Book"?...Why not just sit back and let things take their course, trusting that in the end our young people will work things out for themselves? Simply, that is actually part of "things taking their course" of which I write. Like Alan Watts, as a human being it is my nature to enjoy and share philosophy and things of a spiritual nature. I do this in the same way that some birds are eagles and some are doves, some flowers lilies and some roses.

I realize, too, that the less I preach, the more likely I am to be heard.

My two daughters and five grandchildren, all of whom up to now I have spared "The Book," would tend to agree and understand exactly where I am coming from.

A DIVERGENCE FOR MY FRIENDS: Eye to I: Self Portraits from the National Portrait Gallery

A DIFFERENT WAY OF LOOKING AT SIN

I think I've alluded to it before, but I'm taking part in a Hebrew for "dummies" biblical study and it is helping me to better interpret and understand certain difficult parts of the bible's Old Testament. For instance...

When we think about the concept of "sin" we often interpret it as something indescribably terrible that is within every one of us. A breaking of one of the Ten Commandments, as it were. But when you look in the Bible, at the original Hebrew word for sin, you see something refreshingly different.

The real biblical meaning of sin is not what we have come to understand. In Biblical Hebrew the root chet (חטא) actually means to be slightly off, to miss the mark. To Ancient Israelites to sin meant to make a mistake or to neglect one's obligation. For example, in Genesis 36, Jacob asks Laban, "What is my offense, what is my sin that you have hotly pursued me?" This word, appearing almost 500 times in the Bible, is central to the biblical state of mind, where upholding one's covenantal obligations was paramount.

When you read it in Hebrew, you get a new perspective of “sin” not as a blemish, but rather a human error. Fortunately, there is a remedy. The holy word of God tells us that the sinful error can be corrected by strengthening one's relationship with Him, seeking forgiveness and improving one's behavior moving forward.

Of course you already knew that, didn't you(?).

NUCLEAR POWER FROM BRUCE PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE IN HEALTH CARE

I report on developments in the nuclear industry from time to time because world-impacting developments are happening in my back yard that tend to be short-shifted by national media. *You can learn more about how Bruce Power is helping to keep hospitals safe, and also diagnosing and treating cancer, in this video or by going to www.brucepower.com/isotopes-and-medical-innovation/.

The Nordion Company will begin processing and shipping the latest harvest of the critical isotope Cobalt-60 from Bruce Power’s Unit 6 reactor this week. Cobalt-60 is used in Gamma irradiation to sterilize medical devices needed to help in the fight against COVID-19 around the world.

Gamma irradiation ensures that the medical equipment and supplies – surgical gloves, syringes, and COVID-19 test kits used by front-line medical professionals to treat patients – are sterilized, clean and safe for use. Gamma irradiation is one of the most effective methods for sterilizing this equipment quickly and in large volumes.

Most of the world’s Cobalt-60 comes from Ontario’s nuclear facilities, operated by Bruce Power and Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which provide supply to Ottawa-based Nordion to process and distribute around the world.

“Nuclear power plays a critical role in two key areas of health care – it ensures that power continues to flow to operating rooms and life-saving equipment; but it also provides a reliable source of Cobalt-60 for sterilization and life-saving medical procedures,” said Mike Rencheck, President and CEO of Bruce Power. ”These functions have become even more important during this crisis.”

Greg Rickford, Minister of Energy, Northern Development and Mines, praised the collaboration between Bruce Power and Nordion which will ensure continued production of this key medical isotope and will benefit people in Ontario and around the world. Rickford called it a shining example of the innovation of the province’s businesses benefitting the global health care community.

“As the COVID-19 pandemic unfolds, Ontario businesses are stepping up and playing a critical role in helping meet the demands of our health care sector,” said Minister Rickford. “The world depends on Ontario-produced Cobalt-60 to stay healthy and safe. I am proud of the leadership Ontario-based companies are taking in this critical fight against COVID-19.”

Ontario’s reliable supply of Cobalt-60 will be crucial in the weeks and months ahead as hospitals around the world require increased access to sterile medical equipment and supplies in their fight against the pandemic. Health care systems will be under significant pressure, and a stable supply of Cobalt-60 is something they can count on from Ontario and Bruce Power.

Given the high demand for single-use medical equipment during the current COVID crisis, the need for irradiation has increased. Other sterilization methods take up to seven days before products are available for use, creating a challenge when sterile materials are required quickly and in large volume. Gamma irradiation technology can process such materials within a day.

In China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology indicated that during the peak of their response to COVID-19, the use of irradiation was increased to ensure that higher volumes of protective clothing could be provided to the front lines as quickly as possible. An estimated 100,000 pieces of protective clothing are now being processed daily – a significant uptick in volume that will save lives.

“Cobalt-60 is critical to our mission of Safeguarding Global Health. Our partnership with Bruce Power will ensure that we meet growing global demand for this critical isotope as the world battles the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Kevin Brooks, President of Nordion. “Our company has been shipping Co-60 sources to customers around the world safely and efficiently for over 50 years, and our proven distribution system is needed to support front-line workers now more than ever.”

Associate Minister of Energy and MPP for Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Bill Walker spoke about the importance of community support in the fight against COVID-19. “I applaud Bruce Power for their leadership in our local communities in this battle and the partnership with Nordion which allows a product made in rural Southwestern Ontario to tackle this crisis on a global scale.” 

Stay home!

Saugeen First Nation (SON) is taking proactive steps to protect the people of its community. Exits into leased land properties have been blocked off and cottagers have been denied access during this time of COVID-19. The only exceptions are for those who have no other Canadian home address.

Saugeen First Nation (the Chippewas of Saugeen) is located adjacent to Southampton (Saugeen Shores) and has a governing body of nine Councilors and Chief. There are approximately 800 who live on reserve and more than 1,000 who live off reserve.

The Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory (SON) is the name applied to the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation and Saugeen First Nation together as a collective. SON are Ojibway peoples located on the eastern shores of Lake Huron and on the Bruce Peninsula in Ontario.

Nawash at Cape Croker made the decision to close its lands off to visitors in late March.

A band councilor, who did not want his name used, said that “… we are trying to do our part to keep this virus out of our community because it could be devastating to our people.” The Band office will also now be closed until May 4th.

Meantime, like many smaller communities along Lake Huron in the Bruce area, nearby Sauble Beach is feeling the impact of COVID-19. The streets are quiet and the businesses are shuttered. While, for many, May 24th weekend is the major summer season opening of the town, Easter weekend can also be busy, but not so this year.

Signage everywhere attests to the closures, including one that asks cottagers to “pick a home and stay there”. In a recent interview, Mayor Janice Jackson urged cottagers not to travel to Sauble but, if they do, then plan on staying and not travel back and forth to their urban homes. It’s a stand being taken by many rural community mayors in the area.

Sauble Beach downtown core deserted

With thanks to the Saugeen Times

ARE YOU FROM MISSOURI? A thought for those still in a Resurrection frame of mind after Easter

Some sportswriters dubbed the 1985 world series as the "Show Me" series. The two teams -- the St. Louis Cardinals and the Kansas City Royals -- both were from Missouri, and Missouri is known as the "Show Me State". This nickname can be traced all the way back to a speech made by a Missouri congressman named Hillard Duncan Vandiver. Speaking in Philadelphia in 1899, Vandiver said, "Frothy eloquence neither convinces nor satisfies me. I am from Missouri. You have got to show me!" I kind of like the parody in all of this.

A web site that feeds ideas to quasi (former) lay preachers like me suggests that the disciple Thomas was, as the expression goes, from "Missouri" in this sense. He was a "show me" kind of guy. He refused to rely on a second-hand report of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He said that he would have to be shown the imprint of the nails in Jesus' hands and the wound in Jesus' side before he would believe. For this reason, he is often referred to as "Doubting Thomas."

In the Gospel story of Jesus' appearance to a group of his disciples after the Resurrection, St. John records the touching encounter between Jesus and "doubting Thomas."

"We have seen the Lord," the disciples tell Thomas. But Thomas is not ready to accept the reality of Resurrection. "Unless I see the holes that the nails made in His hands and can put my finger into the holes they made, and unless I can put my hand into His side, I refuse to believe" (John 20:25). "Eight days later," the story continues, "Jesus came in and stood among them. 'Peace be with you,' He said. Then he spoke to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; look, here are my hands. Give me your hand; put it into my side. Doubt no longer but believe'" (John 20:26,27).

Put your hand in Mine! Feel Me! Touch Me! See, Thomas, I'm real! I have risen! Thomas, face reality!

We need only listen to Thomas' response to know that indeed he had felt and touched his way to reality: "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus answered Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Are you a see'er or a believer, my friend?

I needed a reprieve from writing on Easter Sunday afternoon and instead spent several hours of my self-imposed pandemic isolation reviewing the Facebook profiles and timelines of many of my friends. (I should get a life, you say?)

It was an interesting exercise and in the end I was somewhat surprised to conclude that Facebook accounts almost always reflected the personality of the owner I am familiar with. And, again, generally that was a good thing.

Given the online forum of Facebook to create whatever public persona you’d like, it would seem logical that people might portray an idealized version of themselves -- putting up their most attractive photos, editing down their thoughts to the most clever and pithy before posting them in a status update, carefully choosing favorite recipes, books and movies to portray a certain sophistication of taste. 

But not so, as far as I was able to determine. 

Instead of using Facebook to create rose-tinted portraits of themselves, more often than not my friend's Facebook profiles reflected their authentic personalities, with all of the quirks, persuasions (political or religious), funny faces and moodiness they entail. Succinctly, it quickly became clear that, instead of putting out gilded versions of themselves, my friends' online profiles were in keeping with what they were actually like in real life.

I can only conclude that instead of presenting a false alternative social world online, social networking sites generally are simply another medium for sincere social interactions. (In other words, if you’re a jerk in real life, you’ll be one on Facebook too.)

In all fairness though, I have to be amused by the odd timeline that is devoted almost entirely to advancing political leanings thereby mirroring abrasiveness, often bordering on militancy. Quite frankly I have to admit to giving them a short shift. I used to respond to some of that type of post with reasoned, sometimes tongue-in-check, comments but soon determined it was pointless with potential to lead to bad friends. 

Likewise, profiles that are used as free advertising marketing tools to promote products and services are somewhat off-turning but none-the-less understandable. Of course, in a way, blatant advocacy of that kind does reflect on individual motivation which is always quite transparent.

It is also telling to pick up on a degree of shyness (for lack of a better word) on the part of some people who do not include photos of themselves with their profiles, opting instead to insert pictures of animals or flowers. Then again there are the odd few who chose 40 or 50-year old photos to represent their current image, reflecting a certain type of modest insular or reserved personality that prefers to be seen as the way they used to be. 

Couldn't help but notice too the increased use and sharing without comment of inspirational quotes, photos and videos on people's timelines to express their views or opinions without actually being so bold as to say it themselves or taking personal ownership. Regardless of the motivation or intention, this does demonstrate an overriding goodness and an impulse to share it...and that as I say is a good thing. Inspiration, however demonstrated, tends to work well for engagement because when people see something that inspires them, something they can relate to, they immediately feel an impulse to spread the word. In retrospect, it is kind of a self-satisfying act.

Then, of course, there are the quiet, silent friends who rarely post anything at all on their timelines. Rest assured, however, that still waters run deep with that type of individual who tends to be very observant of others but rarely give the benefit of what they are thinking because, I suspect, they are too polite -- or can't be bothered.

Believe it or not, I really do enjoy putting myself in other people's shoes, seeing what motivates and interests them and getting a feeling for how they live in their world, the proud parents, grandparents and pet owners that they may be. I'm kind of funny that way I guess. Then again, maybe I'm just plain nosey.

Anyway friends, stay active on Facebook...Keep being your sensitive, emotional, caring, opinionated and funny selves. I notice it all and appreciate it!

Hopefully it takes a sensitive, emotional, caring, opinionated and funny guy to recognize a kindred spirit when he one on Facebook! LOL

COVID-19 NOT THE END BUT...

Until now I have suppressed the impulse to write something about the pandemic that has impacted virtually every corner of the earth. What do I really know, I reasoned to my self...I am not qualified in any way shape or form to write anything new or knowledgeable on the subject, let alone profound. Then all of a sudden, as I was putting together an all together different Wrights Lane post this evening, I stopped in mid sentence...COVID-19 was interfering with my thought process. I had to abandon "Canadian Quotes I Remember" for another day and shift gears. Here are some subsequent overriding thoughts on the devastating coronavirus  from my simple, reluctant and questioning mind -- for what they are worth.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past few weeks you have seen, heard, and read about the coronavirus that is disrupting life world wide. And it is quite likely that it has had a direct impact on you, even if you have not yet become sick from it.

Social distancing is a new by-word. The banning of large gatherings, including churches, and the closing of schools and many establishments where people gather are common. Empty shelves at the grocery store are a normal sight. We are learning to live without essential services and there is the expectation that things will get worse before they begin to improve.

To make matters even more desperate, there is a tendency for many people to automatically look to connect any large-scale disaster to the the Bible-concluding Revelation and see in it a sign of the beginning of the end. But should we? I admit to giving the prospect some passing thought as well...Can't help it!

There seems to be a lot of confusion about this virus, starting with its name. Coronavirus is a family of viruses that include common colds, seasonal flu, MERS, and SARS. The World Health Organization has given this particular coronavirus the acronym COVID-19 for “coronavirus disease 2019”. Its actual name is SARS-CoV-2, although that is seldom used by the press.

This coronavirus originated in China and seems related to the wildlife trade there. It is highly infectious and seems to have a mortality rate of around 3-4%, although that is still not known for sure. At the time of this writing, it has spread through most of the world. The impact though is forecast to continue to increase for the next few months, maybe beyond, with potentially millions of people dying from it and millions more becoming absolutely destitute, morally and financially.

Many senior citizens like me may never see a total recovery from this pandemic go-round and that may be a blessing in disguise. What I can say is that it will certainly be the end of the free-ride good life as we have come to know and expect it.

As our economy takes a record nose dive resulting in business closures and mass unemployment, I cannot help but wonder where the billions of dollars in government bail-out funding aid is coming from, considering federal and provincial budgets are already running heavy deficit balances year after year. Where will all of this end? I have no idea...I can only offer negative speculation and I chose not to go there in this post.

And what about our over-taxed health care system and the unanticipated shortage of adequate safety equipment for nurses, doctors and aids; not to mention conditions in nursing homes where the deadly virus is running rampant among the most vulnerable...O my God!

There has to be a time of reconciliation, however. In spite of public demand, as a nation we cannot keep spending money we don't have...That's a mistake many of us have made in our private lives. Sadly, there will be those who fall by the wayside.

I worry too about the long range implications of social distancing and its affect on personal relations and interactions. How will we act and react to fellow man in the future? I hate to even think about what to expect next before things start to get better.

So, is COVID-19 one of the seven plagues mentioned in Revelation 16-17? While it might be tempting to try and identify this virus with one of those plagues, I believe there are a couple of reasons not to. The first reason is that these seven plagues are identified as the completion of God’s wrath, and the plagues seem directed solely towards those who belong to the kingdom of the Antichrist. But this virus is not as discriminating. There seems to be no one who is immune to it. Saint and skeptic alike are affected by it.

A second reason for doubt  that it is one of the plagues of Revelation is that we know the source of this virus. As many of the coronaviruses do, it jumped from an animal to a human and spread from there. COVID-19 is simply more contagious than most, as well as generally more deadly.

To all appearances, COVID-19 seems to be a natural event rather than a supernatural action of God. It is an event that is not unique in history but is, apart from its severity, rather common. It is even something that our infectious disease experts have been anticipating, and warning us about, for many years.

But again, if not one of the seven plagues of God’s wrath, could it be a sign of the end times? Again, I do not believe so. In the 14th century, the Black Plague killed 30-60% of the population of Europe. In 1918 the Spanish Flu, another coronavirus, killed 50-100 million people worldwide. Joseph Stalin is credited with killing 20 million people. Mao Zedong is estimated to be responsible for the deaths of up to 45 million people. Estimates are around 20 million deaths in WW1 and 75 million in WW2.

While the death toll for COVID-19 could potentially approach that of the Spanish Flu, there is no reason to suspect that it is heralding the end either. Ultimately, we do not know when the end will come. In Matthew 24 Jesus warns us that there will be many signs that will appear to point to the end. But they are just looking forward to the end, not the end itself.

“Jesus answered: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:4-8).

While Jesus did not specifically mention viruses here, I believe it is safe to include them since they are just as devastating as those events he did mention. History is replete with plagues, wars, and natural disasters that kill large numbers of people. But none of these has been a sign of the end.

Considering COVID-19 is likely not one of the seven last plagues of Revelation, nor a sign of the end times, it is still very real and devastating with life altering ramifications. And as Christians, we need to respond appropriately to it on an individual basis.

The first thing that we should do is believe the warnings of science and follow the directions of our government and medical experts. Keep hands clean. Avoid crowds. Keep your distance from other people -- all necessary measures that will help "level the curve".

God bless the front-line workers

But, as Christians, there is more that we can do. Take the time you have while off from school or work to strengthen your faith. Pray, read and study the Bible, and practice spiritual disciplines. Reach out to neighbors. Even while taking all of the appropriate precautions, you can still be in contact with your friends and family, letting them know you care and are available to help them. And be a quiet calming influence on those you connect with online. There is much fear-mongering and fake news circulating about this virus. Rather than fuel the anxiety that is going around, be a conciliator and voice of reason.

Remember that this will be behind us someday. And, when it is over, your response to this virus and social disruption will continue to bear testimony to goodness and love. It will be a virtual and sobering memory for the current generation of a way of life that was so easily taken for granted. Suddenly we are not so super human as we ideally begin a period of resolve.

Indeed things may well never be the same again. Out of necessity, expectations of life will have to change, but it will by no means be the end. Live in the moment my friends -- the NOW, as I suggested in a Wrights Lane post last week. Forget about that past and future stuff!

There, I'm glad that's off my chest...Now back to the Canadian Quotations piece that I was working on before I became distracted.

Oh, and I almost forgot about the fifth edition of my Canadian Legends series that has been relegated to a back burner. Good thing that I've got nothing but time on my hands these days.

CANADIAN LEGENDS: NO. 4 IN A SERIES

The legends of a nation are the spontaneous and unself-conscious expression of the ordinary life of its people in the early days of its history. They form the basis of the culture of the country and also reveal those qualities, aspirations and values that collectively make up Canada's character. Generally love (or lost love) with potential to tug at one's heart strings, is a common thread running through most of the folklore, as evidence this the 4th in a continuing series simply entitled "Qu'appelle".

Fleet-of-Foot knelt in the prow of a long canoe, occupied by French voyageurs in the service of one of the great companies that were becoming fabulously wealthy through the trade of furs in the vast reaches of Western Canada. A member of the Cree nation, he was acting as a guide through the intricate network of rivers, streams and lakes which he knew so well but which were always a puzzle to the bold Frenchmen with whom he was journeying.

The voyageurs were a light-hearted company and often, as they journeyed, sang in the rhythm of their paddles the old songs their fathers had learned in their distant homeland and had taught them as children. Often, when threading the turbulent waters of a canyon, they would answer the echo of their own singing with the familiar French question "Qu'appelle?" (who calls?)

Fleet-of-Foot was quick to pick up their language and to join in their songs, and he particularly loved to answer the echo.

One day. while travelling down a river in the region that is now the Province of Saskatchewan, the voyageurs brought their canoes to shore at an Indian encampment. The natives were friendly and bade them stay for a few days, an invitation the weary Frenchmen were glad to accept.

On the evening of their first day at the village, Fleet-of-Foot wandered along the river bank watching the play of the moonbeams on the rippling water. Suddenly he came upon an Indian maiden standing by a tree. This would be their first meeting, but Fleet-of-Foot saw her often in the subsequent few days of his stay. Forest Flower, he called her and very quickly their friendship grew into mutual affection, then love.

When it was time for him to leave, he told her that he would be making a long journey with the Frenchmen, but that when spring returned the following year he would come back to her and nothing would ever separate them again. Never had a journey seemed so long for Fleet-of-Foot.

In the earliest days of the next spring and when he knew that the rivers were clear of ice, he put his canoe in the water again and headed westward. It was a long trek into the wilds, but Fleet-of-Foot was glad at heart, for each stroke of his paddle brought him nearer to his beloved.

Then one evening he reached the river on which Forest Flower's village was located. It was too late to press forward and the air was still and heavy. A strange foreboding seized Fleet-of-Foot and as he lay on his bed of boughs he had difficulty falling to sleep. After a fitful sleep he was awake very early next morning and at dawn he launched his canoe.

His paddle was uplifted for the first stroke when he heard is name "Fleet-of-Foot! Fleet-of-Foot!" Swift to his lips came the old cry of the voyageurs in which he had often joined, "Qu'appelle?," but there was no answering call.

Restless and fearful, he pressed on. As he drew near the encampment, he knew that something had happened, for Forest Flower was not on the shore to greet him. Instead he was met by an old woman who, in silence, led him to a wigwam near which a few Indians were lingering. Within, lay the still lovely form of the maiden whom he would have made his wife.

"Ere she died, she called your name twice, O Fleet-of-Foot, for great indeed was her love and longing for you," said the woman sadly.

"When did she cry out?" asked Fleet-of-Foot.

"Even at dawn this day," was the reply. "Just as her last breath was leaving her."

The stunned and dejected Fleet-of-Foot returned to his canoe and, in silent grief, paddled down the river. Never again in all his wanderings did he return. But the voyageurs, when they heard the sad story, named the river "Qu'appelle", and so it is known to this day.

~~with thanks to the late E.C. Woodley for this story

The Qu'Appelle River /kəˈpɛl/ flows 430 kilometres (270 mi) east from Lake Diefenbaker in southwestern Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near the village of St. Lazare.

PASSION FOR TRUTH: WHAT LOVE'S GOT TO DO WITH IT

As told to a little boy we'll call "Johnny"

There is an old story about a rich man who had acquired his wealth through a series of questionable business deals. He decided to enter politics and run for public office. At the height of his campaign, he burst into the editorial office of the local newspaper and exclaimed, “You are telling lies about me in your paper, and you know it! To which the editor replied, “I wouldn’t complain if I were you. What would you do if we told the truth about you?”

Is seems as though one result of our indifference to truth is that there are very few ideals today which we are unwilling to sacrifice. As we adults forget the true purpose of life -- as we lose our grasp on the basic certainties of life -- we also lose the energy to live up to these basic ideals. Because we have lost our passion for truth, we find it difficult to affirm even the ordinary loyalties of life. It seems that too many of us love truth less than others hate it.

Now, there was once a Man of Love. A carpenter by trade, he went around the country helping people. When he saw those who were unhappy, he told them, "You weren't meant to be unhappy. Love made you. And could Love have meant anything for you but happiness? Then believe that you are the child of Love and claim your happiness!" And the people who believed what he said got a new vision of themselves and their world. The people who were sick were made whole, and the people who were poor found the means to meet their needs...And the people who were unhappy began to sing songs of praise, of Love and of life.

However, the rulers of the land in those days did not like what this man was saying. They were fearful that if people began to live by the Love he espoused, there would be no need for kings and judges like them. They were fearful also that if they had to run the kind of world that Love had made, they would not know how. "He's a public enemy," they insisted.

They got rid of this upstart named "Jesus" by crucifying him on a roughly constructed cross planted on a hill called Calvary, along with several other criminals of the day.

An ancient holy book known as the Bible subsequently revealed years later that, as prophesied at his birth, the wrongly condemned young man actually died for the sins of others in the world at the time and those who would follow, including you and I. After his cruel death he was acknowledged as the Messiah, the Savior of Mankind and Lord of All; and he lives in the hearts of his faithful followers to this day. 

Imagine that!

The truth revealed, my son. And all you have to do is remember it with the purpose and passion that I know exists within you.

That"s all for now...There's more to the story of Jesus, but we'll talk about that next time. I promise.

"NOW", HEAR THIS...THE "PRESENT" IS ALL YOU'VE GOT!

Troy Erstling is an interesting young man...he believes that from an experiential perspective, time is an illusion and it doesn’t exist. The only moment in time that exists is NOW. Right here -- the moment you are currently within, that blends into the next and the next...and the next.

The “past’ and the “future” do not exist. They are just words to frame and give understanding to the present moment, insists Erstling who passionately writes about self-improvement, meditation and creativity; and I have to agree.

The “past”? When it was happening it was a present moment. At the time the past was happening, it was the now. You've got to pause to think about that for a minute.

Even when you look back on the past and remember it, you’re still doing it right here, right now. You’re not visualizing a past moment, you’re visualizing your memory of that moment, right here, right now.

When you feel the emotions associated with that memory, it’s all still happening right now. Same thing with the future which is just a present moment that hasn’t arrived yet. When you’re thinking about and imagining the future, you’re still imagining it right now. Right.

The present moment right here, right now, is all that exists, and all that will ever exist. There’s profound wisdom to this if you can let go of/loosen your understanding of time and how it works for a little while.

There is a reason why all of the “enlightened” ones from the Buddha to Eckhart Tolle to Mindfulness meditation teachers and Yogis alike all teach techniques that are meant to do one thing — bring us back to the present moment.

“Presence” is powerful, because now is all that exists.

If the now is all that exists, if the present moment is all that we have, why then would we ever create an unpleasant now for ourselves? Why would we ever create unnecessary stress, anxiety, frustration or anger for ourselves and ruin the present moment? Yet we are subject to doing just that all of the time.

If the now is all that exists, then we should do everything in our power to have the best NOW that we can! To feel our best, right now! To think our best, right now! To act in our best interests…right now! Again — if now is all that I have, why would I ever spend my now in suffering?

Hard times and pain in life will come to us. But we can choose how we respond to it. We can choose our reaction and respond in the now.

Just because you have an excuse or a justification for your sadness, depression and anxiety doesn’t mean you have to take the bait. I'm convinced that you can choose a different response in the now.

You can always choose to smile through a hard time. Laugh through a hard time. Make light of the unfortunate things that happened to you. When there is pain, you can choose to deal with it RIGHT NOW. Dive into it and feel it and express it so that your next now isn’t so painful.

If you’ve been avoiding something, you can deal with it now. If there’s some unresolved issue, you can deal with it now. If you’re stressed out because of work, you can deal with it right now. Trust me, I've been there and experienced all of that.

Again, prolonging for the future doesn’t work because the future doesn’t exist. The pain that you have right now will be with you in the next now because you couldn’t handle it now. NOW never goes away, there’s no avoiding it.

It’s why champions, actors/actresses, and successful business people alike all say the same thing — something along the lines of “I worked my entire life to reach a goal and when I finally reached it, I still wasn’t happy.”

Why? That's because they never learned how to remain in the present moment. All of their goal seeking and chasing was avoiding the moment that is right here, right now. They never learned how to pay attention to what is already right in front of them. They chased a future that didn’t exist because….all that exists is now.

It’s the quintessential, “it’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey.”
There is no such thing as a destination, the only thing that exists IS the journey. Your destination won’t bring you happiness, but your ability to be present and enjoy the journey will.

All goals, objectives, and pursuits, are realistically meaningless because of this. Goal chasing the future instead of enjoying the present moment right here right now. Focused on the destination instead of enjoying the journey.

The real test is our ability to enjoy the journey on a daily basis for ourselves. Our ability to remain in the present moment and feel as good as we can in the now.

Don’t get me wrong — It’s not to say that the future doesn’t exist, it’s that your now creates your future. What you do right now will create your future.

In reality all I can do to focus on a better future (instead of worrying), is doing what I can do right now in this moment. If I can’t do anything right now, it’s fruitless to think about the future. My future is an extension of my now, so the decisions I make right now are the most important of all.

The only moment that matters is right now. So take a deep breath. Feel that for a minute….

Cultivate the best now that you can friends. It’s the secret to enlightenment, and there is a reason why it’s a consistent message across all spiritual practices.

Now is all that we have and all that we will ever have. Now is the only moment that exists.

Now, go out there and make the best now that you can. You'll be better for it in the future that doesn't exist yet!

This from a guy who has spent the better part of his 80-plus years contemplating the past...when he wasn't caught up in in the anxiety of an unknown future. I'm a slow-but-sure learner!

I'm so glad that in the end I have some now left to finally practice what I preach in the present. Know what I mean...?

...That's it for now!